Vandrian
"My path is one of illumination - to the light the dark corners of this world with the fires of justice." -Vandrian Blooddrake Physical Vandrian is a physically fit elf, in good shape and condition despite his walk of life and his age. He is athletic and muscular, and works out to remain in good shape when time permits. The only real signs that he is nearing the older ends of his life is the creases on his face and the bags under his eyes that tell stories of the world he has seen. His hair is kept into a small turquoise band to form an outrageous ponytail, with additional bangs hanging down the sides of his head. His right hand, cut off during a conflict with the warlock Errik von Lossart, is replaced with a special hand marked by the goddess Elune. The skin of his hand from the wrist down is stark white, like alabaster. A silver tattoo of a crescent moon fills the back of his palm, and a platinum ring sits on the ring finger of his hand. His garments when at leisure remain simple, be they robes or tunics - he favors robes when at home, and tunics and pants when he ventures beyond there. Almost all his garments are sin’dorei in nature, although he has been known to keep a few orcish garments in his wardrobe for cross cultural meetings. For war, Vandrian uses specially prepared and tailored bloodrobes – enchanted garments used by warlocks of power, weaved from high quality felcloth and augmented by potent spellthreads. The garments physically protect Vandrian from much harm, and serves to enhance his own fel powers. The garments are completed with a spellcloak and an elaborate necklace Vandrian wears, a device known as a soul choker. Vandrian often favors a staff for combat in order to further enhance his fel powers, but when placed in a situation where melee combat is more appropriate he is more apt to favor a one-handed long sword. Personality Vandrian is an honorable soul. He is exceptionally honest, a proud merchant, and a generous host, being a firm believer in the guidelines of hospitality. He is often good natured, and spares plenty of chuckles when in the company of friends. He favors laconic phrases, double meanings, cryptic words, and small riddles, seeming to take great pleasure in their clever usage. When faced with conflict and hardships, Vandrian remains stoic. If given the choice, he often spends time watching and gauging the situation, carefully studying the circumstances and his opponent. He spends no nonsense in dealing with a situation when he chooses to step in, and often seeks to end the conflict before it can spiral out of control. He rarely – if ever – permits his enemy to see his emotions, and is never one to show anger, rage, despair, or hate – to do so, he argues, undermines what it means to be sin’dorei in times of conflict. Should Vandrian ever deem someone as an enemy and of great threat to himself, his clan, or his friends, he will fight mercilessly, hunting and stalking his prey without rest, always mindful of whatever weaknesses he can find and uncover. He seeks to bring swift justice and vengeance upon what villains he finds, and in particular, his wrath against demonic foes knows no bounds. Vandrian holds few if any of the racial fears that his own people carry. He accepts the Horde's races into his folds eagerly, even envying the honorable and heroic lives of orc and tauren warriors. The only races Vandrian could be faulted for having prejudices against are the Amani (whom he has waged war against for centuries and loathes their cannibalistic nature) and goblins (whom he considers greedy and amoral). He also holds powerful superstitious notions against the night elves, who were, in the ghost stories of his youth, known as the dorag'dorei (witch elves), the black-skinned, treasonous bogeymen of the night who would steal away children and curse the quel'dorei and plot the downfall of their nation. His recent conversion to the faith of Elune has alleviated some of these fears, but he does not forget so easily. Languages Vandrian speaks Thalassian and Orcish with equal fluency. It took him some years to perfect his orcish, but he speaks it clearly now, with a deep rich voice and a slight accent born from his Thalassian. Among only elves, he will use Thalassian freely, but when among the company of other races he will almost always use Orcish out of courtesy for his allies. Vandrian also remember smatterings of the Common language of the humans, but does not often employ the use of the language. Of course, as a warlock trained by the Legion, Vandrian is exceptionally fluent in the Eredun demonic tongue, and has knowledge of at least three other hidden tongues of the demonic races. He speaks Demonic with a low growl, slurring his "r"s - a habit he was never truly able to break. History Early Life Vandrian was born in Windrunner Village to Illia Blooddrake and an elven stranger who passed through the Village and then was never seen again. Vandrian's childhood was calm and uneventful, living out in peace along the shores of the forests. He would often hear the tales of sailors and adventurers who returned to Quel'thalas at the port, speaking of the lands to the south and the wonders the islands of the world held. Upon his coming of age, Vandrian enrolled with the magus scholams of Sunfury Tower, and began to study the arts of war wizardry. He trained under Scholam Flamesea, who rigorously taught his students mastery over the element of fire through calm meditation, the Hador no sha'Rilea - "Eye of the Storm". Armed with sword and spell, he was present on numerous raids against the Amani trolls, including the unsuccessful sack of Tor'watha that left the trolls reeling for years, even after they had won. His eyes opened to the arts of the arcane, Vandrian began to hunger for more. No longer sated on the simple art of war, he gathered his belongings and left the forests, becoming a malanore - traveler. He ventured into the lands of the humans, traveling through Lordaeron and Alterac until coming to the mage city of Dalaran. Here, he encountered the elemental summoners of the Kirin Tor, and grew fascinated by the elementals they wielded. However, when he attempted to enroll in the Kirin Tor, he was turned down. Not easily discouraged, Vandrian continued on his way. Becoming of the Beast It would be in the capital city of Kul Tiras, Boralus, where Vandrian would find a book to change his life. Stumbling into a curio shop, Vandrian found a tome written in a curious language, with translation notes scrawled along its sides in Common. The book bore no title, but the contents clearly indicated it was a tome bearing information of the various creatures of the cosmos, and how to summon them. Gleeful at his discovery, Vandrian bought the book and retreated to a small inn in the city, studying the translations dutifully. After a month or two of study, Vandrian felt he was prepared to use the knowledge in what he had come to call the Nameless Codex, and crafted a summoning circle from the diagrams within its pages. Gathering his strength, he enacted the ancient rituals in its pages. To his astonishment, an alien being answered his call. The creature was a nathrezim by the name of Bhathamaal. He told Vandrian of the Burning Crusade, a movement by creatures from beyond his plane, and promised him a life in a new utopia the Legion, those who carried out the Crusade, would bring about. Vandrian, awed by the grace and generosity of the seeming benevolent creature, accepted his offer. As a show of gratitude, Bhathamaal graced him with five demons, servants of his, including the succubus Darva, a wife to aid him in his duties. For the next two centuries Vandrian carried out the will of the Legion, acting as a courier and agent between the numerous cults that the Legion had founded among other magicians. Vandrian delivered tomes, letters, reagents, and even weapons between the various factions, ensuring them that their devotion would be repaid. As he carried out his work his powers in the fel magics grew, allowing him greater control over the forces of the Nether. Encouraged by the ever present Darva and the frequent visits from Bhathamaal, Vandrian did not often think of what exactly he served, or any chance of duplicity. Second and Third Wars It would be the Second War, however, that changed Vandrian's opinion. Upon news that the orcish Horde and its Amani allies threatened Quel'thalas, he returned home from the seas and offered his skills to aid the high elves. However, he was shocked to learn of the existence of warlocks among the orcs, and the demons and dark arts they commanded. Encountering far less benevolent counterparts of the demons he summoned, Vandrian was puzzled, and took it upon himself to learn the true intentions of the orcs and their warlocks. For years after the war, Vandrian attempted to conduct interviews with the orc prisoners, mostly to little or no success. With each attempt Darva would attempt to dissuade him, but Vandrian still pressed on, avoiding contact with his demons as he tried to learn the truth. Finally he was granted permission by the Lordaeron forces, and spoke with a former warlock that had once served the Shadowmoon Clan. The knowledge of the great orc was staggering - of the forces of the Burning Legion that drove the orcs to their frenzy that crushed the draenei of their homeworld and then led them on the warpath to Azeroth. The realization sunk in to the elf's mind - he had been tricked, lied to for centuries by Bhathamaal and the demons that served him. Yet before Vandrian could use this information to his advantage, the Third War broke out, forcing Vandrian to flee to the safety of Dalaran - where he would then witness Archimonde crushing the city, revealing once and for all the true power and form of the fel magic of the Legion. Crawling from the wreckage of Dalaran, Vandrian was struck simply by the horror of what he had done - facilitating the coming of the Legion through his misguided actions. Gathering his wits, he quickly returned to his sanctuary and captured his demons, binding them in soul gems so they could not escape or act against him. Then, he began his trek home, to Quel'thalas. He would find the kingdom in ruins, crushed by the Scourge. Vandrian knew that his only hope was to break the pact he held with the Legion, and forever destroy any hold they may have over him. He retrieved the Nameless Codex from its secret location in Silvermoon, then went out into the forests once again. Retribution In the still burning forests of Eversong, Vandrian wandered across the orphaned girl Telilenth. Without hesitation he kidnapped the girl, dragging her deep into the forest, intending to use her as a sacrifice to appease Bhathamaal so he may be agreeable to the breaking of the pact. However, even as he summoned the dreadlord from the Nether for his ritual, he knew that the demon would hardly be accommodating. Bhathamaal appeared, enraged at Vandrian's snooping and the imprisonment of the demons sent to watch him. Rather than taking Telilenth, he attacked Vandrian. Panicked, Vandrian released Telilenth and stayed to fight the dreadlord. Yet for unknown reasons, Telilenth chose to remain and fight with Vandrian, and the two elves succeeded in slaying the dreadlord. As Bhathamaal died, he enacted a curse upon the two elves - "Your hunger for power betrayed you to me, and so it shall be hunger that binds you to me even as I die. From now to forever, you shall lust for the essence of our kind. Hunt them, embrace them, I care not which...our fate shall forevermore be bound to yours. This is not the last you shall see of me..." Fallout Vandrian and Telilenth sought refuge at the conclusion of the battle. Although Vandrian remained confused to the reasons behind Telilenth's alliance with him, the girl countless proved time and time again her allegiance to Vandrian, caring for him and helping him recover from his injuries in battling the nathrezim. She too was cursed now with an addiction to the fel, which began to reveal itself in increasingly abnormal rages and mood swings. To fight this, Vandrian crafted an item for her that would help her to regulate her mood swings. In return, Telilenth took up the last name of Blooddrake as a sign of respect to Vandrian, becoming a sister figure. Vandrian and Telilenth returned to Silvermoon, and spent the next few years recovering and understanding their new addictions to the arcane (as a people) and to the fel (as by their curse). Desperate for work and something that would allow him to take a normal life, Vandrian turned to the art of jewel crafting and metalworking, crafting jewelry and cutting precious stones. Eventually, he transformed the house he and Telilenth had into a store, and with her aid in securing raw materials, created the Blooddrake Jewelers. Telilenth would wander off to travel the world, stricken with the wanderlust that comes over many elves in youth, while Vandrian would continue his work in Silvermoon. Yet for all his work to become a normal elf once again, Vandrian still remembered the threat of the Legion. He swore to himself that if one day, he would come across the power again to challenge them and hunt them down where he could find them, he would... Current Affairs One can find Vandrian Blooddrake easily in Silvermoon, often running his jewelery store. Those in need of such services reach him easily through the mail system (somehow, the letter always seems to make its way to Vandrian). Of course, those more privvy to his other life will often find him out in the field, waging war against the Scourge and Legion, teaching others about the darkness and how to combat such evil. Vandrian remains untrusting in the current reign in Silvermoon, and as such whenever he is not conducting business or having a drink often travels to other cities. He claims this is for fresh air, but his true reasoning is that he honestly enjoys the warrior cultures of the other Horde races. Thunder Bluff and Orgrimmar capture his imagination, and he is in love with the dry air of central Kalimdor. Just recently Vandrian has begun to prepare for a pilgrimage to Outland, as per the new tradition of the sin'dorei under Prince Kael'thas Sunstrider. Although Vandrian holds little love for the Prince, going on a pilgrimage to Outland and returning guarantees him tax cuts in Silvermoon City - tax cuts which he cannot afford to pass up, given the high cost of rent in Silvermoon. More and more, however, he finds this pilgrimage is, if anything, destroying what remains of the faith he has in his people's progress... Demons The Star of Bhathamaal is the name given to the five shards that held the essences of five demons, given from the dreadlord Bhathamaal to Vandrian. "As they served me, in everything I am and have done, so shall they serve you, in bringing forth the dream of our master." Vandrian's life during his service to the Legion was invariably entwined with the aid the demons provided, and they were as much of his life as other living beings. Since the end of the Third War, they have remained trapped in their shards, wills still bent to Vandrian's will, although now with varying degree. Some have embraced their new master in his quest against the failed Legion, while others, especially Darva, continue to plot and scheme against the blood elf, yearning for freedom. Laznam - the imp Laznam is an Excruciator - a position in the Legion that combines the roles of a torturer, interrogator, savant, and librarian. A true fiend (no pun intended) for knowledge, Laznam's personal motto is that, "Information is strength!" Because of his willingness to gather such information, Vandrian often finds many tasks for Laznam to pursue, and the imp is invaluable in Vandrian's tasks to hunt down old Legion cabals. However, Laznam's love for information is matched only by his lust for causing pain and suffering to others. He loves to personally undertake interrogations, razor in one hand and a quill in the other. Laznam has bonded to Vandrian particularly in that the imp believes the Legion has truly grown weak since its second failure in taking Azeroth. However, Vandrian has no doubts in his mind that if he were to fall from power and grace and into the imp's clutches, Laznam would gleefully turn his methods as an Excruciator upon his master. Zhar'Kresh - unthinking and sadistic, the voidwalker Zhar'Kresh was once a free-willed voidwraith in the armies of Dimensius. He hunted the hated ethereals for countless eons before being captured by Bhathamaal and bound with the bracers of a voidwalker, rendering his mind null and transforming him into an unthinking menace of death. Vandrian uses Zhar'Kresh cautiously - Zhar'Kresh is unthinking in his loyalties, and will dutifully crush any enemy he is commanded to. However, Vandrian also knows that this alone is not enough to contain the hateful creature - if summoned for too long with no immediate task, he fears that Zhar'Kresh may turn against him. The other threat possed by Zhar'Kresh is that if the voidwalker were to break his bracers, he would undoubtedly regain his full strength and run rampant. Darva - none of Vandrian's demons are more insidious, more deceitful, than the sayaadi succubus Darva. Known for countless eons as a temptress of the highest quality, Bhathamaal attached her to Vandrian with a specific task in mind - to become his wife, to lay beside him and learn all his deepest, darkest secrets; to give him advice, keeping him on the path of darkness. She would be a part of him, and complete the Legion's control over his body and soul. Darva carried out her mission to a frightfully successful degree, as evidenced by the many centuries Vandrian spent with her. With the Third War, Darva became trapped like all Vandrian's other demons - yet she retained much of her freedom still. Strong enough so that she would not be forever bound, Darva could still manifest during the witching hours of the night, and continues to goad at Vandrian, seeking to tear down the man by any means possible, all while seeking her own ways to become free of her master. Traagrym - the felhunter Traagrym was born from the same kennels that once were controlled by Hakkar the Houndmaster. Bred as a guardian felhound in the finest degree, Traagrym never truly saw action in any Legion undertaking. Taken by Bhathamaal, Traagrym's first assignment therefore became the service to Vandrian Blooddrake. Young, unexperienced, and easy to leave an impression on, it became no surprise that Traagrym became like a loyal canine to the warlock. Even after Vandrian broke from Bhathamaal the felhunter was perhaps the first demon Vandrian could count on retaining loyalty with. However, a felhunter is a felhunter, and Vandrian never forgets this fact. He keeps Traagrym well fed, lest he has other ideas and sees his master for food. Haaghun - The mo'arg felguard Haaghun is, unquestioningly, the most feared demon Vandrian holds control of - and none fear him as much as Vandrian himself. Although not as coniving and scheming as Darva, Haaghun is frightening in that he retains most of his free will - and with it, his rage and hatred. For years he resisted the call of Vandrian, and even now when summoned, Vandrian takes great pains to control him, as Haaghun is always a hair's breath away from being able to slay the impudent elf. Vandrian keeps an eye on Haaghun, and Haaghun in turns keeps an eye on Vandrian - neither let down their guard for even a second when in the presence of the other. Fanatical, driven, stubborn, and unyielding in his decisions, Haaghun longs for the day he will break free of Vandrian, slay the elf for attempting to confine him, and rejoin the forces of the Great Burning Crusade. Rumors also speak that Haaghun and Darva know one another from before, yet there seems to be no love lost between the two. Haaghun remains tight lipped about the event, although Darva seems able to use their past experiences to her advantage to persuade the felguard. Category:HordeCategory:Blood ElfCategory:Warlock